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Sofia Goggia is on a mission for medals as she prepares for her home Winter Olympics, where the Italian speed specialist will be hunting for gold on one of her favourite pistes.

Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina will clash in the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic hopes to join them later Wednesday in his latest history bid.

Elena Rybakina credited a calmer mindset for helping her stun world number two Iga Swiatek Wednesday to race into the Australian Open semi-finals, calling it "just another day".

As the White House worked to "de-escalate" tensions in Minneapolis Tuesday, a man sprayed Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with a syringe of unknown liquid at a town hall meeting, where she called for curbing the Trump administration's anti-immigration crackdown.

Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points as the Detroit Pistons held off a late rally from the depleted Denver Nuggets to hang on for a 109-107 road victory on Tuesday.

Jessica Pegula will meet Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open semi-finals after dismantling error-strewn Amanda Anisimova on Wednesday in an all-American showdown.

World number two Iga Swiatek on Wednesday backed Coco Gauff's call for more privacy during tournaments, saying players sometimes feel "like animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop".

Ahead of a snap election in Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to scrap a tax on food, but a lack of clear funding is unnerving markets and voters.

Facing what activists say is a hardening of repression inside Chechnya amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Asil and Aishat, both young women, recently fled their violent families in search of safety.

Elena Rybakina ramped up her quest for a second major title as she dismantled Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic plays later Wednesday in his latest history bid.

The dollar ticked up Wednesday following another selloff fuelled by Donald Trump's suggestion he was happy with the currency's recent decline, while tech firms extended their rally ahead of much-anticipated earnings from the sector this week.

Presiding over the signing of a major trade deal alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen broke into a large smile.

As France moves one step closer to banning social media for children, the European Union is seriously considering whether it's time for the bloc to follow suit.

A Dutch court will decide Wednesday if the Netherlands must do more to protect the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from climate change, in a potentially landmark environmental justice ruling.

Fifth seed Elena Rybakina stunned world number two Iga Swiatek to race into the Australian Open semi-finals Wednesday and deny the Polish star in her latest bid to win a career Grand Slam.

The dramatic US operation that overthrew Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro this month may have left North Korean leader Kim Jong Un feeling he was also vulnerable to "decapitation", a former Pyongyang envoy to Havana told AFP.

Ukraine's Australian Open semi-finalist Elina Svitolina says she would not even have been in Melbourne without a break last year to recharge physically and mentally.

Japan did not win an Olympic figure skating medal until 1992 but it is now among the sport's world powers, with kids dreaming of becoming the next Yuzuru Hanyu or Mao Asada.

Venezuelan opposition figure Delsa Solorzano appeared in public for the first time in 17 months on Tuesday, hailing a new phase in the country's history after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.

The murder of 11 people at a football game has sparked deep anger in the central Mexican town of Loma de Flores, where sport is promoted as a way of keeping young people safe from drug cartels.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will unveil plans to bolster his nuclear forces at an upcoming ruling party meeting, state media reported Wednesday, after a missile launch the despot said would bring "excruciating mental agony" to his enemies.

A French court Tuesday found a former senator guilty of drugging a woman lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her, and sentenced him to four years in prison, of which 18 months must be behind bars.

The US Federal Reserve is broadly expected to pause its series of interest rate cuts Wednesday, resisting mounting attacks from President Donald Trump, while policymakers await more data on the world's biggest economy.

Since the January 3 capture of autocrat Nicolas Maduro in a US military raid that killed dozens, Caracas resident "J" has been unable to sleep -- one of countless Venezuelans left psychologically scarred by the event.

The United States has started unblocking Venezuelan funds that were frozen under sanctions, the South American country's interim president said Tuesday in the latest sign of rapprochement between long-term foes.

Audrey Nuna from Netflix's mega-hit animated musical "KPop Demon Hunters" will headline the opening ceremony at the Women's Asian Cup in Australia.

Donald Trump warned Tuesday of "very bad things" if Republicans lose the US midterm elections, as the US president kicked off a travel blitz under the shadow of unrest in Minneapolis and voter worries about the economy.

Russian forces in Ukraine killed 12 people and struck energy infrastructure and a passenger train overnight on Tuesday, authorities said, days after negotiators from both sides held direct talks aimed at ending nearly four years of war.

Venezuelan opposition figure Delsa Solorzano returned to work at her office in Caracas Tuesday for the first time after 17 months spent out of sight of the authorities.

Celebrities from movie stars to pop singers are speaking up with calls to action against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids after two Americans were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was to warn Wednesday that oil-rich Venezuela's leader will suffer the fate of US-deposed predecessor Nicolas Maduro if she fails to comply with US wishes.

Swiss skier Loic Meillard led the way in icy conditions to snatch the men's World Cup giant slalom in Schladming on Tuesday, the final race in the discipline before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.